The Night Before
by aangxxxkatara
Summary: What if Suki had come just a few minutes later? Answer, the thing that makes Sokka question everything around him. rated for the language, my re-write of the Tokka scene in Sozin's Comet R


I know it's been ridiculously long since I last updated anything, and I'm sorry, my internet got turned off so I couldn't post anything... But it's back now and I've got a ton of stories that need posted. I just don't know when. I basically wrote this while watching Sozin's Comet, so it may be choppy in some places... from where I stopped writing and stared at the T.V, and my spazzing. but enough of this overly long A/N... on to the disclaimer!

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: the Last Airbender. If I did Suki would never have come back and ruined the awesomeness that is Tokka. now, on to the story!

* * *

This was it, tomorrow was it, the day everyone would remember forever. The day the firelord would fall. Aang, Katara and Zuko were dueling in the small courtyard of Zuko's old home. Suki and Haru were watching from the side, talking occasionally then falling into silence. The Duke and Teo were talking quietly while feeding Appa. But two people weren't with the rest of the group. Toph and Sokka were no where to be seen.

On the other side of the house, by a small over grown garden the two in question were walking. A silence stretched between the two friends, a hesitant, nervous, silence. Finally Sokka spoke up, "Why'd you want to talk to me? And why couldn't we talk back there?" he asked, looking back over his shoulder at the way they came. The blind girl beside him stayed silent, her face turned to the ground, bangs swaying in front of her.

Sokka noticed her distant state but kept silent; she'd been this way for a while now. "What I want to tell you I didn't want anyone else hearing." Toph said softly, stopping in the middle of the garden. Around them the air still, the earth seemed to be holding it's breath to listen to what its master had to say.

"Well," Sokka prompted, "What did you want to say?" Again Toph was silent.

"I wanted to say… that… Sokka I…" she trailed off, pink color splashing across her cheeks.

"Yes?" the warrior asked, leaning closer, eyebrow raised, not noticing her light pink cheeks.

"Sokka I…" she sighed and continued walking until she stopped at a small pond. Clutching her hands into fists she clenched her eyes shut. Sokka walked up beside her, clearly confused. "Sokka, I think… Spirits! Why is this so hard?!" Toph all but yelled, stamping her foot on the ground and turning her back to him in frustration.

"What? Toph… you're not making any sense at all."

"My hearts not making any sense at all!" Toph yelled, eyes clenched, and silent tears slipping from them. "Sokka… I… Sokka I love… I love you." She whispered, her shoulders drooping, hands slipping open, her eyes open slightly.

Sokka stood there in shock. Toph had always been his best friend, but he'd never once thought of them as anything more than just that. "Toph… I don't know what to say. You know I'm with Suki, I'm flattered, really I am, but I love Suki, and she loves Me." he said, moving to grab her hand.

"Yeah… I know." Toph sighed, as she pulled her hand away from his. "You never noticed, did you? She may love you now, but there was someone who loved you even before her." Toph sighed, "I loved you since the day I saw you. I knew you were different. Not because you weren't a bender, but because of what was in your heart. You'd seen pain in your life. You'd seen pain that I'd known."

The world around them stayed silent along with Sokka. "Toph… I'm sorry."

"Whatever. I don't need your stupid apologies." Toph grumbled, turning around and seeming to stare him in the eye. "I just needed you to know. People are going to die tomorrow Sokka. And I have this strange feeling one's going to be me." Sokka stood there ridged. The way she was talking was scaring him.

"Don't talk like that!" He hissed, grabbing for her hand again, she pushed him away.

"Get off me! Its true damn it! I'm probably going to be one of the firsts to die! And you," She yelled, pointing at him, "Know it!" before she could pull her had away he'd grabbed it and searched her milky eyes desperately.

"Stop talking like that! You're not going to die!" He yelled, trying to make her see the truth; she couldn't die, just couldn't. What would the world do without her? Toph's lip trembled and she wrenched her hand out of his tight grasp.

A small breeze blew through the garden, tugging at their clothes. "You're a horrible liar. You know that?" At that she brushed past him and back toward the comfort of the others. Right before she turned the corner she turned back to him and he could've sworn he saw a flash of bright blue in her milky emerald eyes. "Just remember Sokka, what's going to happen is all your fault; unlike the first time, _I'm_ not forgiving you. Remember that in the morning." With that, she was gone.

"What have you done?" Startled Sokka spun back around and came face to face with the owner of the voice. What he saw scared him more than anything.

"Y-_Yue_? No… you're not really here… you can't be." he told himself over and over again, but no matter how many times he said it, her ghostly figure was still there. Her clear bright blue eyes were narrowed and blazing. Her mouth was set in a straight line, and her arms were folded over her chest.

"I am, because of _you._" Yue hissed. Sokka stared at her confused. What had he done to make her come here?

"What do you me--?"

"We're here, to wait for her." Sokka's eyes widened in shock and confusion as he spun around and came face to face with his mother's spirit.

"M-mom?"

"She's merely here to help me." Yue growled. Kya's eyes narrowed, mimicking Yue's.

Sokka still didn't understand, "Who are you here for? Shouldn't you've gone to Aang? You know, cause you're spirits, and he's the bridge between our worlds." he stuttered, looking from his mothers hard face, to Yue's.

"No." Kya spat, "You're the one to mess up destiny, you're the one we go to." Yue nodded in agreement.

"I… messed up… destiny… How?"

"The girl!" Yue yelled, "Toph! Ringing any bells?! The owner of the heart you just broke!" She stopped and Kya picked up where Yue left off,

"_She_was your future. You were never supposed to find Suki. You changed your destiny by finding her, now you've messed someone else's up!" His mother stopped and both she and Yue stood right in front of him, both of their blue eyes blazing.

"When we died part of both of our spirits intertwined with the earthbender's." They said in unison, "We've pushed her toward you and she took to it, she loved you like we did. With the natural instinct to protect you like,"

"I did." Kya said glaring at her son.

"And to love you,"

"Like I did." Yue said.

"What we didn't count on was for her to fall in love with you on her own. She loved you like a mother, like a sister, like puppy love, but also like we never counted on, like a lover." they said in unison, their voices blending into one, making a voice that was all to familiar as they said 'lover'. Toph's.

That's when he understood all to well, "No! You can't take her!" he gasped, shuffling back away from them, "You can't!"

"We won't right now." Yue spat, "but she'll have to come with us before the battles over, you've made sure of that."

"What?!" This angered Sokka, he couldn't be the reason Toph would die.

"When you chose Suki, Toph's destiny disappeared. There's only one destiny for her now! Death!" Kya yelled. "When she said she'd loved you even before Suki she was telling you the truth, but it wasn't her speaking! We were trying to fix the destiny _you_destroyed!" Sokka blinked, he'd didn't believe in destiny, and he'd show them.

"Nothing's going to happen to Toph tomorrow." he hissed threw clenched teeth. "I swear to you right now. I won't let anything happen to her."

"Don't make promises you can't keep." they said in unison, their voices sounding like Toph's again; then, they were gone. "Just remember, destiny's a funny thing."

* * *

"I don't think boomerang's coming back Toph." Sokka grunted in pain, gripping on to Toph's hand for dear life. "Just hold on. I'll get you back up!" 'Don't make promises you can't keep.' His mother and Yue's words echoed through his mind.

"I I captain." Toph whispered, Sokka's eyes widened at the sound of her voice, he could here the tears in it; she was crying. That's when her hand gave a lurch downwards. "Sokka! I'm slipping!"

"NO!" Sokka gripped her hand tighter, "I'm going to get you back up and then we'll help end this war! Just hold on!" her hand started slipping again.

"Sokka… I've got to let go."

"Don't you dare!" Sokka yelled, ignoring the pain in his leg.

"I've got to. If not, we'll both die!" She hissed back, tears still evident in her voice.

'No!' Sokka though desperately, 'this can't end like this!' deeper down in his heart he was screaming, 'They can't have her!' "Don't let go! Please! I promised I wouldn't let you get hurt!" he cried as her hand slipped farther.

"You shouldn't make promises, Sokka. I'm sorry." her hand slipped so she was only holding on to his by their fingertips.

"NO! Toph! Don't let go! Please! You can't let go." he pleaded, tears stinging his eyes.

"I'm sorry Sokka… goodbye." At that her hand slipped.

"NOOOOOO!" Sokka screamed, twisting his body around, ignoring the pain in his broken leg, and grabbed her wrist, "I told you I'm not letting you go!" The airship lurched to the side sharply and Sokka slipped slightly.

"Let go Sokka!" Toph yelled, "If you don't we're both going to die!" She pulled her hand sharply downward and it slipped so he was holding on to her fingers again.

"Toph… Don't… please…" Sokka looked over the edge and stared the younger girl in the eyes; he saw a flash of bright blue in her milky emerald eyes again, the same as the night before. "No… please…"

"I'm sorry…" she whispered, hand slipping farther, "I… love you…" the airship lurched forward, and her hand slipped all the way.

"NO!" Sokka cried, voice choked, and eyes burning with tears. Grabbing out for her hand again he tried desperately to save her, but it was too late, she'd disappeared in the smoke. "TOPH! NO!" He screamed. "She's gone… I failed…" he whispered, clenching his eyes shut.

"SOKKA! There you are!" Sokka turned his tear stained face up to see Suki riding one of the airships toward him, "Where's Toph?!" she yelled, grabbing his hand and pulling him on the airship.

"She's… g-gone." he whispered, tears falling down his cheeks and voice cracking.

Soon, what felt like forever to Sokka, the two got to the main land where Aang was standing, Ozai lay slumped on a rock behind the avatar. "Is he… ya know…?"

"I'm not dead." the ex-firelord growled, Suki shrunk away from him.

Sokka stared at the ground as the word 'dead' echoed around them. Aang noticed but didn't say anything; instead he looked around, noticing someone was missing. "Hey guys, where's Miss Mellonlord?" Suki's face fell, and another tear slipped to the ground in front of Sokka.

"Don't… call her th-that…" Sokka growled, voice shaking. "Her name's T-Toph. Not Miss Mellonlord."

"It's just a joke Sokka, Miss Mellon'll understand."

"DON'T FUCKING CALL HER THAT!" Sokka screached, eyes blazing.

"Okay, okay, chill Sokka, I was just kidding. Where is she, she'll be on my side. The wars over we can joke around n--" he stopped suddenly, putting the puzzle pieces together. Bowed heads, silence, Sokka crying… "No…"

"Sh-she's gone…" Sokka confirmed sadly. "It's all my fault… I couldn't hold on…" he trailed off. Suki looked at him sympathetically, moving over beside him she wrapped her arms around him and cooed into his ear,

"It's alright; it's not your fault. She was a strong girl but when it came down to it she wasn't as strong as she thought."

"Don't say that." Sokka growled, pushing her away.

"She was a tempest Sokka." Sokka looked behind him and saw Katara helping Zuko over to them, she was the one who had spoken, "She tempted fate before Sokka, but this time it didn't work in her favor."

"You guys don't get it!" Sokka yelled at them, fists clenched, "She wasn't the one tempting fate! I was! I had a chance to change her destiny last night, but I tempted fate and didn't! Now she's paid the ultimate price!"

"What are you talking about?" Everyone asked in unison. But Sokka wasn't listening any more.

Turning his face up so he was staring up at the full moon that had risen, "Are you happy now?!" Sokka screamed, "HUH?! You have her now! So are you happy?! Are you two HAPPY I'm miserable?!"

"Sokka! What are you talking about?" Katara gasped.

Sokka spun around and stared at Katara with unfocused eyes, "They took her from me. They took Toph from me, now they're probably laughing at my pain!" he yelled. Everyone looked at him confused,

"Who are you talking about Sokka?" Aang asked, walking over to his friend.

"YUE! That's who! Yue and my very own mother!" he screamed, eyes blazing.

"But Sokka… both of them are…"

"Dead? I know! Their spirits came to me last night! Saying when I found Suki I changed my destiny, changed Toph's destiny. Now Toph's gone forever!" he yelled at the monk. "You're the avatar! Why do you act so surprised spirits were talking to me?!"

Aang blinked at him then, laying a comforting hand on his friends shoulder, said, "I understand. Come on, let's go talk," turning to everyone else he said softly, "You guys head on over to the fire nation, Sokka and I'll catch up to you latter. After we put his mind to rest." Katara and he locked eyes and everyone nodded, turning back to the airships.

Before leaving Suki shot Sokka a pained look of understanding; one he never saw. "What did Yue and your mother tell you Sokka?" Aang asked softly, once everyone was gone.

"They told me I messed up destiny by bringing Suki back and that Toph was your future and I was never supposed to find Suki. I changed my destiny by finding her, now I've messed someone else's up… meaning Toph's… they told me when they died part of both of their spirits intertwined with Toph's, pushing her toward me, but they never counted on her falling in love with me on her own. Then they told me that when I chose Suki, Toph's destiny disappeared. And that there was only one destiny left for her now, death." Sokka ranted, tears dripping onto the ground in front of him. "The problem is…" he trailed off with a sigh.

"You love her now." Aang guessed. Sokka looked over at him with a sniffle, his lip shook and he nodded hesitantly. Looking down at his hands he whispered, tears falling onto his palms, the hands that couldn't save her,

"When she was hanging onto my hand the conversation with Yue and my mother flashed through my mind and I realized the huge mistake I'd made last night when she'd told me she loved me, I told her I loved Suki, when I didn't… I thought I did… but I don't. As Toph was hanging there, holding on to my hand for dear life, the one thing I wanted most, was to rewind time, go back and tell her I love her, but I couldn't. I tried telling her, but it wouldn't come out… all I could say was to hold on." he stopped and drew in a long breath before continuing; "Now I think I know why I couldn't say it… I'd already changed destiny, and I couldn't change it back."

"Maybe you could." Aang said hesitantly. Sokka turned and looked at him confused. "Where did she fall?" Sokka's hand rose and he pointed down closer to the water edge. Aang nodded and grabbing Sokka's hand he pulled him onto his back, as he made a fire jet under his feet and they flew down where Toph fell. Upon landing Aang turned and looked Sokka in the eye, "Do you honestly love her? With all your heart?"

Sokka nodded numbly, "Yes, Yes I do. I don't think I could live with out her."

"Like we told you, destiny's a funny thing." Sokka's eyes widened as Yue and his mother appeared before them. Sokka gulped and pain flared in his heart as he looked between them. There she stood, shorter then both of the other two. Toph. But it wasn't her. It was her spirit; proving one thing, Toph Beifong was dead. "Greetings Aang." Yue said, nodding to Aang.

"Greetings Avatar Aang. I am Kya, Sokka and Katara's mother." Kya said, nodding to him as well.

"Greetings, Yue. Greetings, Kya." Aang bowed to the two spirits.

While this exchange was going on Sokka and Toph stood there, staring each other in the eye, Toph being able to see him for the first time because she couldn't bend as a spirit, she wouldn't have been able to see, so she'd been granted her sight. "Toph… I'm so sorry…" Sokka whispered biting his lip, and his head falling forward, eyes closed.

She didn't say anything. Kya heard her sons' soft apology and turned to look at him, then the girl beside her. "She can not speak, unless asked a question by either Yue or I. That was what she gave for her sight." Sokka looked back up at them and looked at his mother sadly.

"But she can hear, can't she?" in answering his question Toph nodded. "Good… I didn't want to say this and her not hear it," he said softly, Toph tipped her head to the side confused, staring at him, "I love you Toph, and I'm so so sorry I didn't tell you yesterday."

"You've thought about what we had said. Didn't you?" Yue asked softly, Sokka nodded.

"I realized how much she meant to me, I realized that I truly did love her."

"And you think you can change what's already happened?" Kya said, eyebrow raised. Sokka sighed,

"I know I can't ch--"

"We never said that." Yue stated.

"What?" Sokka asked, eyes wide with confusion.

Yue, Aang and Kya looked at each other, what they were thinking of doing hadn't been done in thousands of years. "Toph, it is your choice. You can come with us, and take your rightful place as the Earth spirit, or you can go back and live you life by the destiny originally for you." Yue said, turning to Toph.

The little girl blinked and for the first time since he'd seen her as a spirit she opened her mouth and said softly, "I-I don't know…"

"It's your choice." Toph stared Sokka in the eye.

"I need to go back." she whispered, never once looking away from Sokka's eyes. "He needs me." she said to Yue, finally tearing her eyes off Sokka's and looking the moon spirit in the eye, "Just like you needed him."

Yue smiled nodding, "Very well."

4 ½ years later

"I got a letter from Suki and Haru to day." Sokka said, walking in to the living room of the small earth kingdom home. Toph lay sprawled out on the velvet couch, one hand behind her head, the other on her growing stomach. On the floor asleep was a small toddler fast asleep.

"What'd it say?" she asked lazily.

"They're inviting us to their wedding. Suki says Sylvie has been asking where her auntie Tophie is." Sokka laughed, Toph let out a small giggle and rolled her eyes. "Oh and they're asking if we've set a real date yet." he laughed. Toph grinned, technically they were already married, but they'd eloped and got married in Ba Sing Se 2 ½ years ago, when Toph was only 14 almost 15, so no one they actually knew was there, as Toph put it, getting married with hundreds of people you don't know who are just there for the free food and alcohol. And since she wasn't of actual marrying age it didn't really count.

When they'd finally went back to everyone else, they got an ear full. Not just because they'd gotten illegally married, but also because, Toph was pregnant; With their first daughter Zephalynn. "We will… eventually." she laughed. Sokka chuckled.

"Well, your 16th birthday's next month, so… how about sometime next Spring?" Sokka said thoughtfully, Toph grinned.

"Three months from now it is." she laughed, Sokka joining in as he came over and place a small kiss on her forehead.

"Three months it is, the baby should be born by then." this earned him a slap to the head.

"What? I can't be 8 ½ months pregnant at my wedding?" Toph asked in a mock hurt voice. "You just don't want me to be fat!" she accused, pointing a finger at him.

"No," Sokka laughed, "I don't want you going into labor during the wedding."

"Liar!" Toph laughed, tipping her head back and grabbing the front of his tunic. "but I love you anyway."

Sokka rolled his eyes chuckling, "Okay, I don't want you to be fat, but I also don't want to have to rush you off to the healers to deliver a baby."

"Why not?" Toph laughed, "It'd be a special baby, conceived in the firelord's dining hall," at that she grinned cheekily, that's their little secret, they we're supposed to be watching over the house while everyone was in Ba Sing Se for a peace meeting, and they did… and they had a little fun doing it. "Then born during it's parents wedding. That'd be something for it to tell it's kids."

Both started laughing and Sokka leaned over and captured her lips with his own, "You know, I can't believe I almost lost you." He whispered as he pulled away from her.

* * *

A/N-- The end! haha... so I know most Tokka fans have re-written the Tokka scene in Sozin's Comet, me, I was the cool one and wrote it while **_watching_**it... which made my friend who came over really mad cause the key board kept clicking and she's a huge Tokkaneer to... after we both broke down crying... yes we are dorks. Anyways this is just my take on what could've happened if Suki had come just a few minutes later... I have another, much sadder ending... I'm just not in the mood for sad right now... we had to put one of my rabbit's to sleep, if anyone wants to know about that just say something in the review.

Thankie for reading, now I'm going to go cry in the corner, then go to bed, it's 3:00 A.M and I can't sleep. (huddles on sofa with pillow and icecream crying.)


End file.
